Injection Practices at Primary Healthcare Units in Bangladesh

BackgroundIndiscriminate usage of injections and lack of safe practices during injection administration have been reported worldwide. Unnecessary and unsafe injection usage not only increases the financial burden but are also responsible for spreading blood borne diseases including HIV, HBV and HCV. To attain a better understanding of the situation of injection usage in Bangladesh, a study was conducted at six Upazilla Health Complexes (UHCs), which are primary healthcare units in Bangladesh.Method  The study involved the retrospective collection of treatment sheets of 1048 in-patients at six UHCs from January 2009 to June 2009.  The data was then analyzed using statistical tests. ResultsAmong the patients investigated, 60.11% of the patients received injections and among them the male population received more injection than the female population (males vs. females = 62.50% vs. 55.85%). Patients below 12 years of age received the highest proportion of injections and highest usage of injections was observed in the month of March. The average number of injection(s) prescribed to a patient was 2.44 incurring a prescription cost of 280.22 Taka (USD 3.92 approx.). Injections were mostly prescribed in patients who were diagnosed with physical assault and acute watery diarrhea where intravenous fluids and antibiotics were most widely prescribed. Non-compliance to recapping of used injections was very common which accounted for 22.22% needle stick injuries.ConclusionThe data suggest that indiscriminate and unsafe injection practices were occurring in all UHCs.  Such practices resulted in financial losses as well as compromising safety for healthcare providers and patients.

Toxicogenetic study of omeprazole and the modulatory effects of retinol palmitate and ascorbic acid on Allium cepa

© 2018 Elsevier Ltd. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ This author accepted manuscript is made available following 12 month embargo from date of publication (May 2018) in accordance with the publisher’s archiving policyOmeprazole (OME) is a proton pump inhibitor used for the treatment of various gastric and intestinal disease; however, studies on its effects on the genetic materials are still restricted. The present study aimed to evaluate possible toxicogenic effects of OME in Allium cepa meristems with the application of cytogenetic biomarkers for DNA damage, mutagenic, toxic and cytotoxic effects. Additionally, retinol palmitate (RP) and ascorbic acid (AA) were also co-treated with OME to evaluate possible modulatory effects of OME-induced cytogenetic damages. OME was tested at 10, 20 and 40 μg/mL, while RP and AA at 55 μg/mL and 352.2 μg/mL, respectively. Copper sulphate (0.6 μg/mL) and dechlorinated water were used as positive control and negative control, respectively. The results suggest that OME induced genotoxicity and mutagenicity in A. cepa at all tested concentrations. It was noted that cotreatment of OME with the antioxidant vitamins RP and/or AA significantly (p < 0.05) inhibited and/or modulated all toxicogenic damages induced by OME. These observations demonstrate their antigenotoxic, antimutagenic, antitoxic and anticitotoxic effects in A. cepa. This study indicates that application of antioxidants may be useful tools to overcome OME-induced toxic effects

Phytol: A review of biomedical activities

© 2018 Elsevier Ltd. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ This author accepted manuscript is made available following 12 month embargo from date of publication (Auguist 2018) in accordance with the publisher’s archiving policyPhytol (PYT) is a diterpene member of the long-chain unsaturated acyclic alcohols. PYT and some of its derivatives, including phytanic acid (PA), exert a wide range of biological effects. PYT is a valuable essential oil (EO) used as a fragrance and a potential candidate for a broad range of applications in the pharmaceutical and biotechnological industry. There is ample evidence that PA may play a crucial role in the development of pathophysiological states. Focusing on PYT and some of its most relevant derivatives, here we present a systematic review of reported biological activities, along with their underlying mechanism of action. Recent investigations with PYT demonstrated anxiolytic, metabolism-modulating, cytotoxic, antioxidant, autophagy- and apoptosis-inducing, antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory, immune-modulating, and antimicrobial effects. PPARs- and NF-κB-mediated activities are also discussed as mechanisms responsible for some of the bioactivities of PYT. The overall goal of this review is to discuss recent findings pertaining to PYT biological activities and its possible applications

Correlations between Risk Factors for Breast Cancer and Genetic Instability in Cancer Patients- A Clinical Perspective Study

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.Molecular epidemiological studies have identified several risk factors linking to the genes and external factors in the pathogenesis of breast cancer. In this sense, genetic instability caused by DNA damage and DNA repair inefficiencies are important molecular events for the diagnosis and prognosis of therapies. Therefore, the objective of this study was to analyze correlation between sociocultural, occupational, and lifestyle risk factors with levels of genetic instability in non-neoplastic cells of breast cancer patients. Total 150 individuals were included in the study that included 50 breast cancer patients submitted to chemotherapy (QT), 50 breast cancer patients submitted to radiotherapy (RT), and 50 healthy women without any cancer. Cytogenetic biomarkers for apoptosis and DNA damage were evaluated in samples of buccal epithelial and peripheral blood cells through micronuclei and comet assay tests. Elder age patients (61–80 years) had higher levels of apoptosis (catriolysis by karyolysis) and DNA damage at the diagnosis (baseline damage) with increased cell damage during QT and especially during RT. We also reported the increased frequencies of cytogenetic biomarkers in patients who were exposed to ionizing radiation as well as for alcoholism and smoking. QT and RT induced high levels of fragmentation (karyorrhexis) and nuclear dissolution (karyolysis) and DNA damage. Correlations were observed between age and karyorrhexis at diagnosis; smoking and karyolysis during RT; and radiation and karyolysis during QT. These correlations indicate that risk factors may also influence the genetic instability in non-neoplastic cells caused to the patients during cancer therapies

Caffeic acid rich Citrus macroptera peel powder supplementation prevented oxidative stress, fibrosis and hepatic damage in CCl4 treated rats

Abstract Background Citrus macroptera has been used as a culinary fruit and medicinal plant in traditional medicine system in Bangladesh. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the presence of phenolic compounds in Citrus macroptera peel powder and the protective effect of Citrus macroptera against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced liver injury in rats. Methods The hepatoprotective activity was assessed using various biochemical parameters such as liver marker enzymes (alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP)) and oxidative stress parameters. Histopathological changes in the liver of different groups were also studied. Results Administration of CCl4 increased the serum ALT, AST, ALP enzymatic activities and lipid peroxidation products but decreased the cellular antioxidant activities and reduced glutathione (GSH) levels in rats which were brought back to near normal levels by the treatment with Citrus macroptera. Citrus macroptera administration has also shown to decrease the necrotic zones, fibrosis and inflammatory cell infiltration in CCl4 treated rats. HPLC-DAD analysis of Citrus macroptera extract showed the great presence of caffeic acid and (−) epicatechin. Conclusion The results of this study suggest that Citrus macroptera exerts hepatoprotective activity via promoting the antioxidant defense against CCl4-induced oxidative liver damage

Screening of plasma IL-6 and IL-17 in Bangladeshi lung cancer patients

Lung cancer is responsible for causing one of the highest numbers of cancer deaths. In Bangladesh, both men and women are affected by lung cancer, and environmental contaminants are believed to be one of the main risk factors apart from smoking. The diagnosis of lung cancer is difficult due to the delicate structure and complexity of the lungs. Diagnosis in later stages results in a poor prognosis of the disease. Tissue biopsy is the most reliable way of identifying lung cancer, but it is invasive and requires identification of the primary neoplasm within the lungs. As inflammation is involved in carcinogenesis, circulating levels of cytokines might be elevated in patients during the early stages of cancer. Increased IL-6 levels have been associated with the promotion of tumor growth, and IL-17 is believed to aid metastasis of lung cancer. In this study, the use of IL-6 and IL-17 was investigated as diagnostic markers for lung cancer. IL-6 and IL-17 levels were compared between 35 lung cancer patients and 19 healthy individuals. IL-6 levels were markedly elevated (7.417 pg/mL) in lung cancer cases compared to the controls (0.970 pg/mL), indicating a positive correlation (p < 0.05). IL-17 levels were only slightly higher in lung cancer patients (9.400 pg/mL) compared to healthy individuals (8.922 pg/mL). Both IL-6 and IL-17 levels were higher in patients with adenocarcinoma compared with other subtypes of lung cancer. Treatment with chemotherapy and radiotherapy did not significantly affect IL-6 levels. However, IL-17 levels were reduced due to cancer treatment. Further studies with larger sample sizes assessing the IL-6 and IL-17 in lung cancer patients are needed to establish the diagnostic role of the two cytokines

Health impacts of excessive use of Facebook among university students in Bangladesh

The internet has become an essential part of our daily life. But excessive usage can have a negative impact on the physical health of its users. Over the last decade, the use of Social Media (Facebook) has been increasing rapidly and the younger generations getting addicted to it. But all possible health impacts of excessive use of internet are yet to be thoroughly evaluated, especially in such a developing country as Bangladesh. The present study aims to understand possible health deteriorations from excessive use of Facebook in a cohort of university students of Bangladesh. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 1186 students from two public universities and 1472 from several private universities of Bangladesh using a comprehensive questionnaire. The data were analyzed using the chi-square test to understand the association between Facebook usage behaviors and physical health status. We found that ~70% of the students used the internet for at least 4–6 hours/day, and ~27% of them used Facebook for >3 hrs. Students frequently use social media (mostly Facebook) for news and social communication. About 50% of the students reported wasting time on Facebook and going to sleep late because of it. Importantly, 47.3% students reported that excessive use of Facebook results sleeping disturbance and has a negative impact on the concentration of daily works/studies (p < 0.001). In addition, they experienced several other health problems, including worsening eyesight (71.2%), headaches (15.4%), back and neck pain (28%). Although not statistically important, a fair number of students sought medical attention due to the daily excessive use of internet (p-value = 0.112). These findings demands better understanding of the all possible impacts of using excessive internet among the University students, which can help take the necessary initiatives to encourage good use of the internet. Further extension of this study is suggested at all education levels to reveal the full scenario of degree of excessive internet use and its impact on the healths of Bangladeshi students

Self-micellizing solid dispersion of thymoquinone with enhanced biopharmaceutical and nephroprotective effects

The present study was designed to develop a self-micellizing solid dispersion (SMSD) containing Thymoquinone (TQM), a phytonutrient obtained from Nigella sativa seeds, aiming to improve its biopharmaceutical and nephroprotective functions. The apparent solubility of TQM in polymer solutions was used to choose an appropriate amphiphilic polymer that could be used to make an SMSD system. Based on the apparent solubility, Soluplus® was selected as an appropriate carrier, and mixing with TQM, SMSD-TQM with different loadings of TQM (5–15%) was made by solvent evaporation and freeze-drying techniques, respectively, and the formulations were optimized. The optimized SMSD-TQM was evaluated in terms of particle size distribution, morphology, release characteristics, pharmacokinetic behavior, and nephroprotective effects in a rat model of acute kidney injury. SMSD-TQM significantly improved the dissolution characteristics (97.8%) of TQM in water within 60 min. Oral administration of SMSD-TQM in rats exhibited a 4.9-fold higher systemic exposure than crystalline TQM. In a cisplatin-induced (6 mg/kg, i.p.) acute kidney-damaged rat model, oral SMSD-TQM (10 mg/kg) improved the nephroprotective effects of TQM based on the results of kidney biomarkers and histological abnormalities. These findings suggest that SMSD-TQM might be efficacious in enhancing the nephroprotective effect of TQM by overcoming biopharmaceutical limitations.</p